128_Succession Planning Done Right: Culture, Continuity, and the CEO Transition at TriHealth

In this episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, host Quint Studer sits down with Mark Clement, retiring president and CEO of TriHealth in Cincinnati, and Dr. Chris Reilly, industrial psychologist and founding partner of Sperduto & Associates, to pull back the curtain on one of the most intentional and successful CEO succession processes in healthcare.

Clement spent 11 years leading TriHealth from the 26th to the 97th percentile in team member engagement and building the most trusted, most preferred healthcare brand in Cincinnati. He did not leave succession to chance. He started planning from day one, built a structured multi-phase process, engaged the board at every stage, and partnered with an industrial psychologist to assess and develop five internal candidates over a decade. The result: a seamless, board-endorsed promotion of COO Terri Hanlon-Bremer as his successor, with all five candidates still in the organization and stronger for having gone through the process.

Dr. Reilly brings the assessment science behind the process to life, walking through how Sperduto & Associates uses structured interviews, psychometric testing, 360 feedback, and development planning to evaluate readiness and fit, not just current performance. Together, Clement and Reilly make the case that succession planning is not a one-time event but a sustained leadership discipline.

Listeners will learn:

• Why succession planning should begin the first year in the leadership role, not just when departure is imminent
• How to structure a confidential, non-competitive internal succession process that develops candidates without creating political friction
• What industrial psychologists assess beyond the interview, including problem-solving, self-awareness, personality fit, and behavioral patterns
• How to engage the board across three phases: awareness, formalization, and endorsement
• Why over 80 percent of TriHealth leadership appointments are promotions from within
• About the culture-monitoring tool Clement created to help organizations preserve core ideology and continuously improve, modeled on the Built to Last framework

 This is a masterclass in succession planning for any healthcare leader serious about leaving their organization stronger than they found it.

Mark C. Clement is the president and chief executive officer of TriHealth. He joined TriHealth as president in May of 2015 and took on the larger role of president and CEO in January 2016. TriHealth is a $2.1B integrated healthcare delivery system, made up of six hospitals and over 140 ambulatory/outpatient sites of care. Named as the highest performing accountable care organization (ACO) in the state of Ohio and one of the highest performing ACOs in the country by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, TriHealth cares for more than 500,000 attributed lives. As Cincinnati’s fourth-largest employer, TriHealth has 12,000 team members, more than 700 employed physicians, and an independent medical staff of more than 1,800 physicians.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and jointly sponsored by CommonSpirit Health and Bethesda, Inc., TriHealth’s vision is to work together with physicians, hospitals, and communities to “get healthcare right” by delivering better care, better health, and better value while fostering physician and team member engagement. Mark also holds the position of CEO at all of TriHealth’s hospitals: Good Samaritan Hospital, Bethesda North Hospital, Bethesda Butler Hospital, and McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital, which all serve the tri-state region of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. With a focus on population health and improving the health status of those it serves, TriHealth is an award-winning health system frequently recognized by industry organizations such as U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, IBM Watson, DiversityInc, The Joint Commission, the American Heart Association, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, and many more.

Dr. Chris Reilly graduated summa cum laude with dual degrees in mathematics and psychology. He earned his Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology from Bowling Green State University in 1989. In 2012, he was honored to be selected as a SIOP Scholar, one of the highest forms of recognition for contributions to the field of industrial and organizational psychology. Chris has worked as a consultant for organizations in the healthcare, national defense, avionics, food distribution, nuclear power, and consulting industries. He has published and presented a number of technical papers in the areas of employee engagement, work scheduling, performance measurement, and decision-making.

Chris has been with Sperduto & Associates since 1991. He has consistently partnered with Quint Studer, co-founder of HPSG, beginning in 1996, on selection, performance management, executive coaching, and engagement. Chris has worked with clients throughout Europe, Central America, South America, and Canada on projects related to employee engagement, selection, team-building, talent management, and organization restructuring. He is a licensed psychologist and managing partner at Sperduto & Associates. Chris currently teams with Healthcare Plus Solutions Group® as an organizational psychologist